According to ‘il meteo’ (Italian for weather forecast) we’re going to be in for a scorcher of a summer again. In fact, some say it could be the hottest summer on record. (Incidentally, the Italian for scorching is ‘rovente’.
Depending on where you live or what you like temperature-wise it’s going to be either good or bad news. If you spend your summer in the UK it’s going to be good news with ‘heat waves’ and comfortable swimming even on the beaches of Scotland. In Italy if you live north of the Apennines then it’s going to be variably very hot with more summer storms. If you live in central and southern Italy then it’s truly going to be hot with temperatures rising even above the 43 degrees hit in 2003 and reaching 45.
Already there have been above average April temperatures for Italy, although at this moment there is a temperature drop of ten degrees thanks to cyclone Medusa. (It was just five degrees last night). Some people say there is a correlation between the advent of El Nino one year and high summer temperatures the next. This is not completely proven but what is sure is that globe-warming is a fact. I’m, therefore, glad that an agreement was signed between the powers on Earth Day last week. Whether it will be kept to is another matter, however…
Meanwhile, make sure you’ve got enough water stored for your allotment and that the fridge works!
I’ve always looked forwards to summer in Italy. Let’s hope that what Henry James said still remains true for me after this summer comes and goes:
“Summer afternoon—summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.”
Meanwhile, this morning I woke up to this.
I don’t need to tell you the English equivalent of this Italian saying:
‘Rosso di sera bel tempo si spera; rosso di mattina la pioggia si avvicina.’
From London to Longoio (and Lucca and Beyond) Part Two 
What a scorcher. I hardly survived last year’s. It was positively intolerable in heat and even at high altitudes oxygen is lacking and possibly the only place to be is by the sea eating all the wrong things granite and ice creams. On Sunday evening Rai 3 Report programme amazing and frightening statistics were made known of migrants whether economic migrants or fleeing wars, immigrants or refugees that are slowly making their way to Italy from Nigeria, Congo, Syria, Pakistan, Libya to name just a few but surely they will be able to teach us survival techniques against the searing heat! I can already think of a few that they have the sacred coconut plant that produces the coconut milk at all stages young and mature coconuts alike, also the flesh a wonderful restorative cooling nourishing fruit so versatile also in the kitchen. So both in the UK and Italy we grow vines olives walnuts, medlars, figs, bananas, avocados, pineapples, dates all fruit bearing in Italy but less so obviously in the UK unless they are growing in green houses as coffee plants and bananas that do mature so why not try coconuts now! I truly feel for these hard working farmers that provide us our food, they will have to bring grain harvests indoors earlier also fruit and vegetables will have to be salvaged bottled juiced frozen tinned dried else there will be shortages. Lest we forget plants do not move but humans and animals can, we will have to have older people brought to safety as well as animals, pets, farm animals, wild animals have their own survival methods. In the future it will be a survival mechanism for all humans on this planet, maybe we shall all eventually become migrants as the Bible says just look at the birds in the air.
You have raised some very interesting points
Well what a scorcher that Summer has been I feel that the only place to be is beside the sea eating all the wrong things granite and ice creams nice for a day or so maybe! The Rai 3 TV Report programme this Sunday night broadcast that there will be many more migrants,whether economic or fleeing wars, immigrants and refugees from Congo Nigeria Libya Pakistan to name just a few however they may want to teach us how to support such temperatures! Both in the UK and Italy we grow vines olives bananas avocados medlars dates walnuts pineapples oranges lemons limes why not the coconut trees these are most useful too with juice both unripe and ripe great flesh and also most versatile in the kitchen. We have to be very grateful to farmers who provide us with such varieties of food theirs will be a tough call in such climates as grains will have to be harvested and stored earlier also fruits and vegetables will have to be gathered to be frozen bottled juiced tinned dried else there will be shortages in some parts of the planet. Plants cannot move unless we move them in pots older people will have to be brought to cooler areas animals too whether pets or farm animals whereas wild animals have their own survival methods. In future maybe we will all become migrants the Bible teaches us to look and learn from the birds in the air.
Hmm, I wonder if we’re getting a scorcher all the way over here in Nova Scotia, Canada. We had a much ‘milder’ winter than last year which is said to be down to El-Nino, but here we are are on a bright sunny morning with frost still on the ground!
I’m enjoying your blog.
Thanks for reading it! Our winter too has been very mild.
That sounds very interesting indeed. From the weather forecast it sounds very much like last summers temperature in and around our part of Italy will be exceeded, and indeed it looks that way for the whole of Europe. So, beautiful Italy will be even more so in the heat and sunshine of this summer. We are undoubtedly living through global warming – this now seems clear.
To what degree man is responsible is of worldwide interest to most people, and a much debated subject. There will be more migration, if this warmer weather is part of a pattern. I agree with Sandra’s point about the birds and migration; thats a good way to look at it. We cannot allow our fellow man to suffer in parts of the world which are slowly becoming uninhabitable.
Thanks for your very considered reply. I’m just a little worried about our water supply for our allotment.